


Pegoryu Week Oneshots 2018

by BalloonBalls



Category: Persona 5
Genre: M/M, the good stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-01 17:39:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15148373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BalloonBalls/pseuds/BalloonBalls
Summary: Just a series of one shots based off of the Pegoryu week prompt list.





	1. Meeting/Wedding

Meeting/ ~~Wedding~~

* * *

 

"Damn It! Screw that pervert teacher!" 

That was the first time I had heard Ryuji's voice. I don't think I'd ever be able to forget that day, even if I tried. Then again, I don't want to forget it either. When I first saw him, I was preparing myself for trouble. He looked like a delinquent, and he also seemed pretty pissed too. He had said something about a 'pervert teacher' and I couldn't deny, that teacher did seem somewhat strange. Oh how right we were. 

"Pervy teacher?" I had asked, which caused my phone to sound out a soft noise which was barely audible over the loud rain and the hustle and bustle on the streets. He turned to me, and I couldn't help but jump a little. He gave me a look, a look of irritation and confusion. Ryuji stared at me for a few moments, before walking over towards me. 

He was pretty intimidating if I had to admit. He slouched while he stood and kept his hands in his pockets. Not to mention that glare he had that just pierced right into me; I hadn't done anything wrong yet I was thoroughly convinced I was going to die right there. He just looked like a classic delinquent with blonde hair and an incorrect uniform. But still, I couldn't deny, something intrigued me about him. 

"...What do you want? You plannin' on rattin' me out to Kamoshida?" Ryuji snapped, and it made me jump a little. I was pretty scared of him at that moment, but I couldn't pull my attention away from him and what he was saying. I hadn't even gotten to school at that point and I was already making enemies with a student. Or, so I had thought. 

"What do you mean?" I questioned. I wanted nothing more than to calm him down, to talk to him reasonably. Really, I wanted him to trust me for just a moment so I could get him to not sound so threatening when he spoke. I was scared though, I thought that my ignorance to the situation would make him angrier and he'd start to threaten me. It's funny how different he actually is from the person he was portraying that faithful day. 

"Huh? In that car just now. It was Kamoshida," Ryuji confirmed, kicking his leg at nothing in particular. I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, he didn't sound so angry a moment ago. He just sounded kind of confused. "He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is-the king of a castle? Don't you agree?" Ryuji cursed, looking at the busy road. 

He sounded angry again, but at least it wasn't directed at me this time. I didn't understand what he meant by 'pervert teacher' and 'king of the castle at the time' but eventually I grew to knew what he was talking about all too well. The good news was that it didn't seem like he completely wanted me dead at that moment, so that was quite the relief. Still though, he intrigued me with his constant bickering about this man named Kamoshida who was apparently a perverted teacher. 

"The king of a castle?" I asked, confused. Nothing he was saying at the time made any sense, and I'm sure he could tell by my reactions. "No, I mean...Wait, you don't know Kamoshida? Are you for real? You're from Shujin, right?" Ryuji queried, the threatening manner in his tone of voice fading once again. When he didn't sound so mean, I kind of enjoyed talking to him. Sure, he was strange and I had no idea what he was saying but something about him just drew me in. To this day, I still don't know what's so special about him that makes me want to spend all my time with him, but I digress. 

"You go to Shujin too?" I asked, looking up and down his uniform. No matter how many times I replay that moment in my head I always feel like an idiot. We were wearing the exact same pants and jacket, the only excuse I had to not recognize his uniform were the shoes and shirt. I think he just made me so nervous for multiple reasons that my mind had lost half it's IQ points during that conversation. He didn't look angry though, just a bit more confused, 

"What...? No other high school's got a uniform like this. A second-year huh...We're the same grade then. Never seen you before though," Ryuji explained relatively patiently. I couldn't help but sigh a little in relief that he wasn't going to get angry at me for asking stupid questions, but then again, he didn't seem the brightest either. "Oh, you a transfer student? Then no wonder you don't know him," Ryuji stated. Ryuji really seemed to hate this Kamoshida, and for some reason I really wanted to know why. It was like he had a personal vendetta against him, which isn't an understatement. 

"This rain ain't too bad. We better hurry up, or we'll be late," Ryuji sighed. I couldn't help but perk up just a little, he was indirectly inviting me to walk with him to school! I didn't and still don't know why I was so excited to walk and talk with him, maybe it was because I wanted a friend in this difficult time. Ryuji was my first friend after all during that shitty time, even though I had a criminal record. 

"UUgh, my head hurts...Damn it, I wanna go home..." Ryuji whined, placing his hand on his forehead. My head ended up hurting too, it was a sharp pain that made me feel a bit light headed. But we both pushed through it because we knew we'd be in trouble if we were late. Too bad we ended up being late already, severely late actually. 

That day marked the first day on this long and taxing journey my friends and I had to go through. This day also marked the day that I met someone who was really important to me, and it's a day I will never forget. 

 


	2. Date/Fight

  ~~Date/~~ Fight 

* * *

"For real?" Ryuji questioned, he didn't want to believe it to be true. No matter how many times he would go to sleep and wake up, no matter how many times he'd pinch his arms, no matter how many times he'd try to deny it, it was true. It felt like a cruel and unusual punishment for something as dastardly as committing the crimes that palace rulers usually commit. There was just no way it could be true. 

"You know I wouldn't if I had the choice, but-" "That's bullshit! You don't have to go back! You could probably stay here with the Boss for your third year, it's not like he'd mind! If he did then you could crash at someone else's place, hell even mine!" Ryuji protested, he wanted to try every possible solution to make Akira stay with him, but he knew that he was probably just wasting his breath. 

"Sojiro got paid to do this, my parents can't afford to do this again. Plus there's no way I would ever inconvenience you or the others by staying with you or them. Plus I haven't seen my parents in almost a year now, I miss them," Akira calmly explained, but his calm demeanor just made Ryuji angrier. How could he be so calm about something like this, about leaving his friends behind? Why would he want to go back to people who didn't even fight for him in his time of need? 

"You wouldn't inconvenience us, we want you to stay! How could you be such a dick and just up and leave us like this?! After everything we've been through together, I thought that we were a family! I-I thought you loved us! I l-...I thought you loved me!" Ryuji barked, his fists clenched. Akira's face softened for a moment, showing off a look of shock, before forming into a scowl. 

"You know this has nothing to do with who I love and don't love. You guys are my family and I care about all of you, but I also have family back at my hometown," "Oh so we're just shit to you, huh?! We don't mean crap to you?! You'd rather go off to be with some flunky parents who didn't even bother to help you in your time of need! But you know who did?! Us! Your real family! We'd never leave you like that, but you're just going to run back to them because they're you're blood?!" Ryuij bellowed. 

He knew he was being way to cruel, he knew that his words would hurt Akira in a way that no one should be hurt. Ryuji never wanted to hurt Akira, he just wants Akira to be happy. But of course, his selfishness is getting in the way of his true intentions. He just felt...hurt. He didn't want to be left behind by the person he cared about more than the world. 

"Ryuji-" "No, I get it. It's fine, I understand where I stand in your life," Ryuji didn't want Akira to finish his sentence, he didn't want to hear whatever Akira had to say. Ryuji knew that he'd just try to defuse the situation with kind words and affirmation, and deep down that is exactly what Ryuji needed. He felt hurt, betrayed, and unloved. Ryuji would do anything for Akira, but would Akira do the same? It didn't feel like he would. 

Ryuji slid off of Akira's bed, standing himself up. He didn't want Akira to see him like this, this upset. He could feel the tears welling in his eyes, but he'd be damned if he let Akira know he was feeling this way. He wouldn't show his weakness to someone who obviously didn't love him. "Ryuji wait,-" "I'm going home," Ryuji demanded, trying his best to not wipe away the tears in his eyes. 

"Ryuji can we just talk about this? There's no reason for you to get mad-" "No reason?! Obviously, you really don't care about us at all! If you think that you just up and leaving us is perfectly fine! This isn't the first time I lost something I love, and it sure as hell won't be the last!" Ryuji cried out, unable to hold back the tears falling down his cheeks. There was no way he could ever look at Akira now, not like this. 

"How do you think I feel?! You think I haven't asked my parents to let me stay?! Yeah I miss them, but everyone I care about the most lives here! You live here! I don't even want to be separated from you and the others, but it's what I have to do! Please don't make this any harder on me than it has to be!" Akira broke down. His voice was cracking as he shouted, and it made Ryuji's heart feel heavy. 

Ryuji turned his head just a little bit to take a quick glance at Akira, and that's when all of his anger wiped away. Akira was...crying. Ryuji had...made Akira cry. He was crying because of him, it was his fault. Ryuji immediately spun around to get a good look at Akira, and his heart just broke for him. Tears were streaming down both of their faces, yet the lack of light in the attic made the pain harder to see. 

Ryuji immediately regretted everything he said, as he knew he would. He didn't expect this to happen though, he didn't expect to make Akira...cry. How could he do this to someone he cared about so deeply? What was wrong with him?! He was truly a selfish man. Ryuji knelt down, wrapping hims arms around Akira to hold him in a tight embrace. 

"I love you, Ryuji. I don't want to leave, I don't want to go back. I want to stay here, with you guys. But I just can't...I'm sorry," Akira whispered, wrapping his arms around Ryuji's upper back and pulling him closer. Akira's calm and rational exterior was broken, and he was left an emotional and crying mess. Ryuji wasn't even sure that Akira could be in this state at all, and he really didn't think he would ever be the cause of it. Seeing Akira like this made him sick, and he just wanted to take all of his pain away so he could be happy.

However, there's no way he could do that, but he can get close enough by being a Phantom Thief. He can take the distorted desires away from those who hurt Akira and his friends, he can make them happy. That is why he is a Phantom Thief. However, Akira's parents don't have twisted desires. There's nothing he can do to take this pain away from Akira, all he can do is watch and let it happen. 

"I'm sorry I said those stupid things," Ryuji mumbled, pulling Akira even closer. Akira just squeezed Ryuji in response. Ryuji was sure there was a lot that Akira could have said about how he was feeling, but Ryuji wouldn't make him. Besides, Ryuji had a pretty good idea as to how Akira was feeling because he was probably feeling the same way. 

"I'm sorry too, Ryuji," 

 


	3. Birthday/Anniversary

Birthday/ ~~Anniversary~~

* * *

Today was supposed to play out like any normal birthday. Every birthday, since Ryuji graduated from elementary school, has played out the same year after year after year. Ryuji was a bit disappointed that no grand celebration and lavish gift giving ceremony ever happened, but what he does get makes him happy enough. Plus, he wouldn't want his mom, or anyone else, to spend a lot of money on him. It made him feel...wrong somehow. 

Usually his mom would wake him up with a bed-in-breakfast for Ryuji to enjoy, which he always did. Later on in the day, his mom would pull out a store bought cake that said 'Happy Birthday Ryuji!!' from the fridge and together they'd two number candles that showed off what age he was turning. The number just kept getting higher and higher...but Ryuji  would always blow out the candles anyway. Then the two of them would spend the rest of the afternoon together snacking on the cake and talking until his mom got tired and went to bed. 

However, this year was going to be different. When Ryuji woke up, it wasn't to the smell of breakfast and his mom lightly nudging him. In fact, the sun wasn't even up yet. Ryuji heard his phone buzzing like crazy which is definitely what woke him up. He sighed, answering the call and putting his phone to his ear. "He-" "Happy birthday Ryuji!" Akira shouted on the other end of the line, causing Ryuji to jump a little. 

He glanced over at the clock on his bedside and in red it showed off a 12:00 a.m. Ryuji couldn't help but smile even though he felt exhausted, no one had ever called him at 12 to wish him a happy birthday. "Oh, wait, hang on," Akira mumbled, and shuffling could be heard on the other end of the line. "Happy birthday!" Morgana cheered, huh, even hearing that stupid cat made him happy. "Thanks!" Ryuji gleamed.

Then, his phone started buzzing again. Ryuji put Akira on speaker then went to check why his phone was being spammed. It was the Phantom Thieves group chat, they were all wishing Ryuji a happy birthday. "You saw the group chat?" Akira asked, and Ryuji just hummed in response. If he spoke, his voice would probably start to crack. He had never received such kind messages on his birthday, hell, people usually barely even remember his birthday. But they all remembered and wished him a happy birthday. He could feel his lower lip starting to quiver. 

"Did I wake you up?" Akira questioned. Ryuji sat up slowly, grabbing his blankets off his bed and wrapping them around his shoulders so he stayed warm. "Yeah, but it's all good," Ryuji mumbled, wiping some sleep from his eyes. He opened up the group chat once again and sent a thank you message to it, even though a quick message didn't even express how happy he really felt. 

"Crap, sorry. But I also called to ask...how much free time do you have tomorrow?" Akira queried. He pretty much didn't have plans for his birthday, he just had to be home by the time his mom got back from work. "A lot, why?" Ryuji responded, and Akira stayed quiet for a moment. "Hello-" "Do you want to spend some time with me for your birthday? I kind of wanted to see you tomorrow, uh, today. If you want to, that is..." Akira mumbled, fumbling over his words almost uncharacteristically. 

Ryuji was taken aback for a moment, dumbfounded. Akira wanted to see him for his birthday. Akira wanted to spend time with Ryuji on his birthday and celebrate with him. He found this day celebratory enough that he stayed up until midnight to wish Ryuji a happy birthday. Ryuji found himself trying his best to wipe his eyes so no one would see him cry, even though no one was around.

"Y-Yeah man, of course. What do you wanna do?" Ryuji stammered, and a laugh came from the other side of the phone. Ryuji sucked in a quick breath, that laugh, hearing that made him just a little bit happier. "It's your birthday, so you can decide," Akira explained, and Ryuji let out his breath quietly. "Uhm...we can go to that place we always go to after training and head back to Leblanc after, if you want," Ryuji suggested. 

"Great, it's a date then," Akira announced. What did he say?! A date?! Wait, did he mean a romantic date or like it's a date on the calendar type of date? Wait, neither of those two make any sense! What did he mean by date?! Well, there's only one way to find out. "A-A date?" Ryuji choked, his voice louder than anticipated. "Oh, uh, a plan. It's a plan then. Sorry," Akira muttered. So, he meant plan but said date? Ryuji wasn't that stupid! No way would he fall for something like that, especially after hearing how sad Akira just sounded. 

"N-No a date is fine," Ryuji mumbled. What was he doing?! They're best friends, and yet here Ryuji was, suggesting they go on a date! Ryuji should've just dropped it, but there was no way he could've let Akira believe that Ryuji was stupid enough to believe that excuse! Plus Akira sounded pretty upset, so he just wanted to make Akira feel better. But still, a date?! Wouldn't that be...weird?! 

"Okay, I'll stop by your place so we can get to the restaurant together. Is one okay?" Akira planned, and Ryuji just stayed quiet. Was he really going on a date with his best friend?! On his birthday?! Why couldn't Ryuji just bring himself to say no?! And why was he so nervous about it?! "O-Okay, I'm gonna go to bed now. Night," Ryuji stammered, hanging up the phone before Akira could say anything else. 

An hour hadn't even passed yet since Ryuji's birthday started, and yet he knew, this birthday was definitely going to be a different one. 


	4. Partners In Crime/Rivals

Partners in Crime/ ~~Rivals~~

* * *

If there was one thing Akira was going to miss, it would be this. Knowing that he was helping out so many good people all around the world is really something that made Akira truly happy. Even if it's just taking small requests in Mementos, those requests made some people in this world happy so that would make him happy. He, and his friends, were going to make the world a better place, one corrupt person at a time. 

However, today was one of those days that made Akira question his decision on becoming a Phantom Thief. Sure, he'd never truly regret his actions, but he still wished he wouldn't be stuck with doing dirty work for hours and hours. There was a man who was causing trouble for a bunch of women in Tokyo and was complained about on the phantom aficionado website. Of course, no one posted enough intel on the guy so the Phantom Thieves were stuck playing detective to find out enough about him. 

Everyone had split off to find information of their own, but Ryuji and Akira decided to stick together so the hunt wouldn't get too boring. As long as they were around each other, nothing could be too terrible. However, the case was quickly running dry. No one had any information on the guy, and if they did they wouldn't cough it up because they were scared. It was kind of reminiscent of the time when the two of them tried getting information on Kamoshida. 

"Man, this ain't goin' anywhere," Ryuji sighed, wiping the sweat off the back of his neck. He wasn't kidding, the investigation was at a complete stand still. Akira was starting to give up, and Ryuji had definitely given up a long time ago. "I'll see if the others' got somethin'," Ryuji stated, pulling his phone out of the pocket in his pants. He fiddled with it for a moment, looking intently at the screen. 

Akira leaned in to get a look at the messages since there was no point in pulling out his own phone to look. He was close to Ryuji, really close, breaking-his-personal-bubble close. He was trying his best to focus on the messages in front of him, but his eyes kept darting over to the blonde haired boy next to him. Ryuji was sweating a lot, he could see the individual drops of sweat on Ryuji's neck and face. 

Akira could see Ryuji's roots showing under all of that golden blonde hair. The bleach job was pretty bad, the color of his hair was resembled something akin to piss but it didn't even look bad on him. Maybe it was because Akira was so used to seeing Ryuji with such a bad dye job, but he kind of liked the color on him. Because his hair is so light, it kind of lightened up his eye color too even though they're just a light brown. It kind of just made Ryuji...well-Ryuji. 

"Hey, you read the messages yet? You're a little close!" Ryuji complained, and Akira immediately stepped back. Had he read the messages? No. Was he studying something else though during that time? Absolutely. "No one found anything, so what are we going to do? Just quit?" Ryuji asked, and Akira immediately shook his head. There was no way they could just quit and give up, there's just no way. 

"You're right, but still...we don't have shit to work with..." Ryuji complained, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Hey, let's ask that lady over there! She looks like she could be one of his targets," Ryuji shouted, pointing to a woman examining flowers at a flower shop. The two of them pushed through the crowds in a quick paced manner, trying not to be rude but also trying to get to the lady before she left. 

"Excuse me, ma'am!" Akira called out to the lady, and the lady turned her attention to the two boys. "Oh, yes?" She asked, turning her attention away from the flower stand and to the boys in front of her. "We're sorry to bother you, but we wanted to ask you some questions," Ryuji explained, and she looked at them with a confused reaction. "We need to know some information on this man," Akira spoke, pulling out his own phone and showing off a picture of the man who was their target. 

"Oh, I know him. What do you two want to know about him?" She asked, looking a little less perplexed. "Just tell us about him, if he's a weird shady perv or somethin'," Ryuji explained, and the woman started to look a bit appalled. "P-Perv?! I wouldn't go that far as to call him something like that! Who are you two anyway? And why are you bugging me?" She questioned, growing more and more defensive.

"Look lady, we just need some information about him. Do you know the guy or not?" Ryuji urged, and the woman stepped back a bit. "L-Look, just leave me alone, okay?! You're freaking me out!" She shouted. If she didn't answer their questions, then there's no way in hell they'd ever find out about this guy. This situation needed to get fixed, and fast! "We don't mean to be rude, we just need to find out about him. We've been hearing some rumors about this guy and we just want to make sure people are safe, you understand don't you?" Akira cooed, trying his best to persuade the woman. 

She looked less anxious, turning her attention from the blonde and over to Akira. "W-Well if it's to keep other people safe..." She pondered, looking down at her shoes in thought. "I-It'd really help a lot of people if you gave us some information," Ryuji added. She looked up at the two of them, then sighed before she spoke. "He's my friend, I've known him since I was young. But I know what he's done, and the rumors aren't false. But he hasn't hurt anyone! He just...takes pictures of the women he brings back home. But they're always unconscious...look- what are you going to do to him?! Are you going to turn him in?!" She explained, visibly distressed. 

"We won't, but we're going to make sure his act gets cleaned up," Ryuji clarified. "O-Okay...but if anything happens to him I'm going to call the cops on you two?! You hear?!" She shouted, before turning her back to them and walking off as quickly as she could. "A sicko who takes pictures of unconscious girls he takes home, and does who-knows-what to them. Makes me sick! Still, there's no way I could've handled that lady without you, so thanks man," Ryuji huffed, but a small smile form on his face. Akira could only return his smile. 

 


	5. Free Day

Warning, this may be triggering to those who are sensitive to the topic of abuse. Please read with caution.

* * *

 

Akira wished he had noticed sooner. He wished he had noticed Ryuji's strange behavior the moment he presented it to him. But it was before they were close, and Ryuji had been doing it for so long that Akira forgot it was even strange behavior. Akira just started to be that it was a 'Ryuji thing' and nothing big, but that was never the case. Akira was just too blind to realize it, or maybe he didn't want to start a confrontation. 

It could hardly be considered as noticeably strange behavior if one did not point it out. Ryuji's behavior may not have been considered strange if he weren't the type of person that he is. For some people, his strange behavior is just a part of who they are for no particular reason. But Ryuji is not the type of person to have such strange behavior as this, but Akira didn't realize it. 

The conversation, the question, was supposed to be playful. Akira didn't anticipate such a strong reaction from Ryuji, and he didn't know how to react. His words, they hit Akira with the force of a baseball bat. What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say? Where was his calm and composed state of mind when he needed it most? 

"I didn't mean to make ya mad, I just wanted you to know," Ryuji sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Akira shook his head, it was the only thing he could do. He wanted to pat Ryuji's back, or place his hand on his shoulder, but that would defeat the purpose of this whole conversation. He didn't want to upset Ryuji, but he had been for so long all because he was ignorant.

"It's not ya fault, ya'know. I've been like this ever since my dad...he effed me up," Ryuji explained, trying his best to look down at the attic's floor. Akira could tell that Ryuji was struggling to explain himself, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Ryuji that he didn't have to explain himself. He didn't want Ryuji to get any more upset, but Akira was selfishly curious. 

"After...after you constantly prepare your self for a punch or a smack, it just becomes an instinct. It's not that I hate bein' touched or nothin', it's just something I do. I'm trying to get myself to stop but it ain't easy," Ryuji continued. Akira couldn't see his face too well, but he wished he could. He wanted to know what Ryuji was exactly feeling, he wanted to see the emotions on his face. He wanted to comfort Ryuij, but he didn't know how. 

It may be selfish, but Akira had no other way to comfort Ryuij in this type of situation. He just wanted to help, that's all he wanted to do for Ryuji. Akira raised his hand, then very slowly lowered it onto Ryuji's shoulder. He felt Ryuji's shoulders tense up quickly, then slowly started to ease up and relax. How did Akira not notice this strange behavior? How did he not notice Ryuji flinching? 

"Is this okay?" Akira asked, and Ryuji let out a quiet laugh. "You don't gotta treat me like a kid or somethin'. It's fine, well, this is fine," Ryuji responded and Akira found himself getting curious again. He knew he shouldn't pry, he knew he shouldn't ask, but he wanted to know about Ryuji. He wanted to know Ryuji's fears, feelings, wants, dislikes, past, everything. Some things may be best left unspoken, but Akira wouldn't let this story be the case. 

"What is not fine? I don't want to accidentally upset you again," Akira queried, and Ryuji just sighed. "You didn't upset me, I just thought you noticed me jump when ya put ya arm round me. I didn't want ya thinkin' I was-well- weird I guess. But uh...sometimes I just get really panicky when someone touches me at the wrong time. I'm used to gettin' my ass beat by everyone, and that barely even bothers me. But like, if someone slowly slides their hand up my back or lightly touch my neck I just freak out. It's like I expect the worst when nothing happens so it freaks me out, but when I get hit I barely even care because I expected worse. Ya'know?" Ryuji explained, moving his attention from the floor to the ceiling of Akira's attic room. 

Akira didn't know what to say, what could he say? He wanted to apologize more than anything. He wanted to apologize for touching Ryuji and making him jump, for prying in on Ryuji's business, for the fact that Ryuji is even like this at all, he just...wanted to apologize for everything. But he couldn't vocalize his points, he couldn't speak the fleeting words in his brain. All he could say was, "I'm sorry,". 

"Don't apologize dude, it's not a big deal. I probably shouldn't have said nothin' anyway," Ryuji muttered, pulling his head down and letting it land in his cupped hands. "Shit," Ryuji mumbled, a profanity barely audible to Akira. "You probably think I'm some freak now huh?" Ryuji asked with a cracking, bitter-sweet voice. Akira wanted to speak, but his voice felt so dried up that the one word he wanted to let out was stuck in the back of his throat. 

Akira raised his hand once again and gently placed it on Ryuji's head; and just as Akira anticipated, Ryuji flinched at the sudden touch. Now that Akira was painfully aware of Ryuji's strange behavior, he was starting to realize how prominent it really was. How could Akira not noticing something like this sooner? It angered Akira, but there was nothing he could do now. 

"This sucks so much...why can't I just get rid of this?" Ryuji complained. Akira hated seeing Ryuji like this. It was so uncharacteristic of him to be this way, and Akira wanted to fix it as quickly as he humanly could. He cared so much for Ryuji that it hurt him when Ryuji was hurting. Akira had never experienced something like this with anyone else on this entire planet. He wanted to fix Ryuji, no, he wanted to make Ryuji happy. He doesn't need fixing or changing, he just needs support. At least, that's what Akira thought. 

Akira gently petted Ryuji's head, feeling the soft hair against his hand. Akira shouldn't be relishing in this moment, it wasn't supposed to be a good moment, but silently being this close to Ryuji emotionally and physically made him so damn happy. That was probably a really twisted thought, but that didn't really matter did it? Ryuji's emotions and hair were just so soft, Akira couldn't help but enjoy his company. He loved his brash and loud Ryuji, but this side of him was new and practically begging to be explored. 

"You're not a freak, you're you," Akira choked out, trying his best to verbally console his...best friend. Ryuji immediately looked up at Akira, and he was immediately taken aback when looking at his face. It was dark inside the room, but Akira could see a few tears rolling down Ryuji's cheeks. Ryuji hardly ever cries, but here he is, snot-nosed and all. The sight made Akira so...sad. 

"That means a lot dude," Ryuji beamed through his tears. Akira couldn't help but smile too. Whenever he saw Ryuji smile, he always found himself copying his facial expression. "I'm not sure why, but when I thought that you thought I was a freak...that's why I started cryin'," Ryuji confessed, trying his best to avoid Akira's gaze. "I didn't want to lose you, especially not over somethin' like this. But I mean of course you wouldn't just up and leave me just because I have some weird ass habit, I don't know what the hell I was thinkin'. But uh...thanks man, for listening to me. Somehow it kinda helped me feel a little better," Ryuji sighed, but he was still smiling. 

Akira could only nod in response because that was all he could have ever hoped for. 


	6. Longing/Confession

Longing/ ~~Confession~~

* * *

 

The day was so close, too damn close. Tomorrow would be the day that Akira would have to leave and go back home to his family. Ryuji wanted to forget so badly that tomorrow would come; he wanted to believe that Akira would never leave. Of course that wasn't the case, and Akira would eventually have to go home. It was just too much for Ryuji to deal with. 

It was late into the night, and Ryuji's eyes were starting to get relatively heavy. However, he knew he couldn't go to sleep because if he would then tomorrow would come. So Ryuji just stayed there, sitting up in his bed and keeping his eyes on the clock. This feeling was absolutely terrible, it was just too damn painful. Akira had always made him feel things he did not want to feel, and it was infuriating. 

As the minutes passed by, Ryuji became more and more aware of the terrible feeling inside of his heart. It felt like someone had tied a boulder to his heart and threw it off of a cliff and let it fall into his stomach. No matter what Ryuji did, he couldn't shake this feeling. His mind was racing too much for him to even try to fall asleep, even though his body begged him to rest. He just wanted to sleep away this terrible feeling. 

Ryuji laid back in his bed, his head against the pillow and eyes fixated to the ceiling. Why was he in so much pain? Ryuji couldn't understand it. Was this what it was like to have a best friend? Was this what it was like to lose a best friend? That didn't make sense, Ryuji has plenty of friends but he never felt like this toward them. Best friends don't feel this way toward each other, so what was it? 

Now that Ryuji was thinking about it, this wasn't the only weird emotion he felt for Akira. He's felt other things for him, happier things. He's felt happy around Akira, but it was somewhat of a different kind of happiness. It was this strange giddy feeling, where he always found himself smiling this big goofy grin around him. It was like this blissful form of happiness that he had never experienced before. 

He also felt this constant need to be around Akira. He was always on Ryuji's mind, he always wanted to hang out with Akira, he always did things with this boy's best interest in mind, and so much more. It's crazy what he'd do for a friend. But in a strange way, it felt selfish as well. Akira was somewhat like a safe space to Ryuji, a little happy place just for him to have. When Akira was happy, then so was Ryuji. It was really strange. 

But all of this would be coming to an end soon, all because Akira had to go home. It just upset Ryuji so much, he wouldn't be able to see his best friend anymore and it made him want to just scream at the top of his lungs. He didn't want to be separated from Akira; he wanted to keep his place at his best friend's side. Ryuji was growing antsy, so he sat up again and twisted his torso to crack his back. 

He wanted to call Akira, ask him for his advice on how feelings or to just rant in general. But for some reason, Ryuji was just too nervous to tell Akira about how he was feeling. He knew logically that he would never make fun of Ryuji or judge him for how he was feeling, but what if he did? That's nonsense...but it's still a possibility. No, there's no reason for Ryuji to think like this, it'll just upset him more. 

Ryuji may not have been the smartest person, he knew that much, but he definitely knew for certain that his feelings were not normal feelings to have for a friend. So if it wasn't friendliness, what could it be? He knew that there was only one other feeling it could be, but he desperately wished it wouldn't be the case. What if he was caught...in love with his best friend? No there's no way! 

That thought made Ryuji's heart hurt just a little in a way that was hard to explain. It was that same type of hurt from before, the pulling type of hurt. There's just no way, no damn way that the pain he was feeling in his chest had to do with something like love...he refused to believe it! If that were to be the case then what would he do? What could he do? 

There was nothing. Akira was leaving tomorrow and Ryuji was stuck with feelings for him that he didn't understand and didn't want. Akira was leaving him with all this unwanted baggage and it just hurt too damn much. It just wasn't fair, was this the punishment Ryuji was going to receive for all of the wrong he's done? This punishment is just far too cruel though. 

Tomorrow is the last day, the finale of their year together. Ryuji would have to let go of this dream-like year just to be stuck as a normal high school student again. He would have to live a life without Akira again. It just wasn't fair at all, now he was left alone to figure out these painful feelings in his heart. He was going to be all alone again.If only there was a way to hold Akira close, just once. If only there was a way to spend one more night with Akira, just once more. If only there was a way to tell Akira how much he needed him, how much he really loved him, how much he relied on him, how he's unsure if he can live without him. 

Tomorrow is the last day, and it will be the worst of them all.


	7. Reunion/Vacation

Reunion/ ~~Vacation~~

* * *

 He looked the same, yet so different. He looked kind of...older, more mature maybe. He just couldn't stop looking at him. The way his hair curled at the bottom, the way his glasses fall at the bridge of his noes, the way his dark eyes still have that same mischievous shine to them. Not even a year later and nothing has changed, but at the same time everything has changed.

"Akira, you look good," Ryuji choked out, his throat growing dry. Akira just smiled, that same warm smile that made Ryuji just so damn happy. Akira stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Ryuji, pulling him into a short yet tight hug. Ryuji wouldn't want to admit it, but he wished that hug would last a little bit longer than it did.

"You look good too," Akira commented. Ryuji couldn't help but just smile at him. "You look happy," Akira laughed, and Ryuji jumped a bit at his comment. He didn't even realize how much he was smiling, but he did notice his face hurting just a bit.

"I'm just happy to be seein' you, that's all," Ryuji stammered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Akira smiled a bit of a brighter smile, and Ryuji couldn't help but mimick that same smile. "I'm happy to be back too," Akira admitted, pulling at the loose strands of hair in his face.

Ryuji used to take advantage of seeing Akira's face every single day. He used to get to talk to him everyday, stand by his side everyday, and so much more. But now it all means so much more to him, Akira meant so much more to him. Now Ryuji finally understood the saying 'distance makes the heart grow stronger'.

"Akira...wow, you're here. I just, fuck..." Ryuji sighed, looking Akira up and down. He had fattened up a little which got rid of that skeletal look Akira was sporting once he got out of prison. His hair got longer which made it curl up just a bit more than it did before he left.

Akira stepped closer once again and hugged Ryuji for a second time, but this time he just held him close in an embrace that did not seem friendly. "I've always wanted to do this," Akira mumbled, running his hands through Ryuji's hair gently. "Akira, what are you-" Ryuji stammered, but Akira just squeezed him tighter.

"It's just been too long," Akira sighed before finally letting Ryuji go, but not without keeping his hands on Ryuji's shoulders. Akira was acting strange, but it was a good kind of strange. A kind of strange that Ryuji somewhat kind of really liked a lot. "I'm just really happy to see you," Akira mumbled, a sincere and gentle smile on his face.

"Jeez man, you're gettin' all emotional for no reason," Ryuji laughed. But still, seeing him this happy just made Ryuji's heart swell. He was here, Akira was really here. Ryuji could barely believe it with his own eyes. He was just so...so damn happy to the point where he could just cry.

Akira was still the same man that Ryuji knew all this time. He may look just a bit different, and he may act a bit different, but he's still the same guy that Ryuji remembered. He's still the same guy that Ryuji cared about, would've done anything for. He's still the one person that Ryuji cared about the most in his life, and that was never going to change.

 


End file.
